Kanye West Sued Over "Bound 2" Sample

The child singer whose 1971 song is sampled onKanye West's already-notorious "Bound 2" is suing the rapper for sampling his voice without permission.According to New York'sDaily News, Ricky Spicer, 56, filed the lawsuitMondayin Manhattan Supreme Court, demanding that West pay ...

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By TV Guide

Ridgecrest Daily Independent - Ridgecrest, CA

By TV Guide

Posted Dec. 24, 2013 at 3:50 PM

By TV Guide

Posted Dec. 24, 2013 at 3:50 PM

The child singer whose 1971 song is sampled on Kanye West's already-notorious "Bound 2" is suing the rapper for sampling his voice without permission.

According to New York's Daily News, Ricky Spicer, 56, filed the lawsuit Mondayin Manhattan Supreme Court, demanding that West pay for his use of the Ponderosa Twins Plus One's song "Bound" or cease and desist.

Spicer, who recorded the "fallin' in love" refrain on the R&B group's song when he was 12, says in the suit that he was shocked to hear himself on the radio when "Bound 2" was released in June. "Mr. Spicer's voice is sampled exactly as he recorded it and his voice ... is heard several times," the suit reads.

In addition to West, the suit names Roc-A-Fella Records, Island Def-Jam Music, Rhino Entertainment and Universal Music Group as defendants.

It's likely that West believed he had legally acquired the rights to the song through All Platinum Records, but Chuck Brown Sr., who ran the Ponderosa Twins Plus One's record label, insists that the publishing rights to the song remain his, according to The Cleveland Challenger. Spicer also says in the suit that he has a copyright to the recording.